Good ultra-budget PC for getting into PC building?

[StandardToaster]

I've been wanting to get into PC building for a while now, and the closest that I've gotten to it is taking apart my old Dell Dimesion 3000 and putting it back together again...

The other day, I came up with this ~$200 PC (without Windows) and I wanted to see if it was good. Just to note, I would not be using this machine for gaming! I will also not use this as my main rig, I would switch back and forth (with a KVM switch) between this and my current Lenovo with some upgrades. My two main concerns are related to the cooler and the power supply. I was thinking of overclocking the Pentium to ~4.0 GHz, and was wondering if the stock Intel cooler would be good enough for that... Also, I know most of you are probably going to say "GET THAT POWER SUPPLY OUT! IT WILL BURN DOWN YOUR HOUSE!", which I know won't happen, I was just wondering if it would be worth it to just go to Best Buy and pick up a cheap Dynex or Seasonic power supply... What do you think?

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($64.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($42.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Team Elite Plus 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 250GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($19.95 @ Amazon)
Case: Diablotek DIAMOND ATX Mid Tower Case w/400W Power Supply  ($27.99 @ Micro Center)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 OEM (64-bit)  ($87.98 @ OutletPC)
Wireless Network Adapter: Rosewill RNX-N150PCe 802.11b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter  ($11.45 @ OutletPC)
Total: $290.14
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-25 08:56 EDT-0400

[Bob Jim]

Although the power supply won't burn down your house, it has a good chance of killing your other components/itself, and potentially doing that in an explosive manner.

[CydiaDash]

I wouldn't get a case/power supply combo. I would get a separate PSU just to be safe - I've heard really bad horror stories about case/PSU bundles.

[don_svetlio]

Get a good PSU......

Athlon 860K > Pentium

Dual cores are dead - the G3258 is  just a toy for overclockers.

EDIT: The iGPU on the pentium can't even run minecraft, just get an APU.....

[IanDrexP]

I've been wanting to get into PC building for a while now, and the closest that I've gotten to it is taking apart my old Dell Dimesion 3000 and putting it back together again...

The other day, I came up with this ~$200 PC (without Windows) and I wanted to see if it was good. Just to note, I would not be using this machine for gaming! I will also not use this as my main rig, I would switch back and forth (with a KVM switch) between this and my current Lenovo with some upgrades. My two main concerns are related to the cooler and the power supply. I was thinking of overclocking the Pentium to ~4.0 GHz, and was wondering if the stock Intel cooler would be good enough for that... Also, I know most of you are probably going to say "GET THAT POWER SUPPLY OUT! IT WILL BURN DOWN YOUR HOUSE!", which I know won't happen, I was just wondering if it would be worth it to just go to Best Buy and pick up a cheap Dynex or Seasonic power supply... What do you think?

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($64.89 @ OutletPC)

Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($42.89 @ OutletPC)

Memory: Team Elite Plus 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($34.99 @ Newegg)

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 250GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($19.95 @ Amazon)

Case: Diablotek DIAMOND ATX Mid Tower Case w/400W Power Supply  ($27.99 @ Micro Center)

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 OEM (64-bit)  ($87.98 @ OutletPC)

Wireless Network Adapter: Rosewill RNX-N150PCe 802.11b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter  ($11.45 @ OutletPC)

Total: $290.14

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-25 08:56 EDT-0400

Get:

• Any XFX PSU
• Any Seasonic PSU
• Any Antec PSU
• Any Corsair PSU above the CS series
• EVGA GS, G2 and P2 series PSUs

Maybe an APU would be a better platform for you

[don_svetlio]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD A10-7850K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus A88XM-E Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard  ($54.48 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory  ($41.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 250GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($19.95 @ Amazon)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H23  ATX Mid Tower Case  ($29.00 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX TS 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($26.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $287.40
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-25 09:11 EDT-0400

[don_svetlio]

Get:

• Any XFX PSU
• Any Seasonic PSU
• Any Antec PSU
• Any Corsair PSU above the CS series
• EVGA GS, G2 and P2 series PSUs

Maybe an APU would be a better platform for you

He literally got a Diablotek PSU

[TheRandomness]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: AMD A10-5800K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($75.60 @ SuperBiiz) 

Motherboard: MSI A78M-E35 Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard  ($49.99 @ Micro Center) 

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory  ($40.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 250GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($19.95 @ Amazon) 

Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($32.99 @ Micro Center) 

Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($19.99 @ Newegg) 

Wireless Network Adapter: Rosewill RNX-N150PCe 802.11b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter  ($11.45 @ OutletPC) 

Total: $250.96

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-25 09:14 EDT-0400

 

One of those rare builds i'd put a CX into

[samcool55]

For that budget, 2nd hand is actually a good idea. I mean you can get things like a q6600 + board + ram for less than 100 bucks, that combined with a 6950 for like 50 bucks and the rest for case, psu and hdd for 50 bucks is perfectly possible.

 

And i'm 100% sure that combo for 200 bucks will destroy every build with new parts.

[don_svetlio]

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: AMD A10-5800K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($75.60 @ SuperBiiz) 

Motherboard: MSI A78M-E35 Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard  ($49.99 @ Micro Center) 

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory  ($40.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 250GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($19.95 @ Amazon) 

Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($32.99 @ Micro Center) 

Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($19.99 @ Newegg) 

Wireless Network Adapter: Rosewill RNX-N150PCe 802.11b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter  ($11.45 @ OutletPC) 

Total: $250.96

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-25 09:14 EDT-0400

 

One of those rare builds i'd put a CX into

 

Heretic!

[StandardToaster]

He literally got a Diablotek PSU

Didn't buy anything yet.

[StandardToaster]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD A10-7850K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($129.99 @ Newegg)

Motherboard: Asus A88XM-E Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard  ($54.48 @ Newegg)

Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory  ($41.99 @ Amazon)

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 250GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($19.95 @ Amazon)

Case: Thermaltake Versa H23  ATX Mid Tower Case  ($29.00 @ Newegg)

Power Supply: XFX TS 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($26.99 @ Newegg)

Total: $287.40

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-25 09:11 EDT-0400

 

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: AMD A10-5800K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($75.60 @ SuperBiiz) 

Motherboard: MSI A78M-E35 Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard  ($49.99 @ Micro Center) 

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory  ($40.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 250GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($19.95 @ Amazon) 

Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($32.99 @ Micro Center) 

Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($19.99 @ Newegg) 

Wireless Network Adapter: Rosewill RNX-N150PCe 802.11b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter  ($11.45 @ OutletPC) 

Total: $250.96

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-25 09:14 EDT-0400

 

One of those rare builds i'd put a CX into

 

 

Both of those are much more expensive WITHOUT Windows!

[TheRandomness]

Both of those are much more expensive WITHOUT Windows!

Windows > /r/softwareswap (I forgot the rest of the name)

[don_svetlio]

Both of those are much more expensive WITHOUT Windows!

Get windows from Reddit or G2A for 10$.

[StandardToaster]

If you actually read the post, you will know that I will not be using this as my main computer. Just for fun, plus NO GAMES! No one has even answered my question about the cooler... Just focusing on the PSU and not buying the Pentium.

[IanDrexP]

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: AMD A10-5800K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($75.60 @ SuperBiiz) 

Motherboard: MSI A78M-E35 Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard  ($49.99 @ Micro Center) 

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory  ($40.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 250GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($19.95 @ Amazon) 

Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($32.99 @ Micro Center) 

Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($19.99 @ Newegg) 

Wireless Network Adapter: Rosewill RNX-N150PCe 802.11b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter  ($11.45 @ OutletPC) 

Total: $250.96

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-25 09:14 EDT-0400

 

One of those rare builds i'd put a CX into

 

Come on, just a few more and you can already get a MUCH MUCH better PSU

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: AMD A10-5800K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($75.60 @ SuperBiiz) 

Motherboard: MSI A78M-E35 Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard  ($49.99 @ Micro Center) 

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory  ($40.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 250GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($19.95 @ Amazon) 

Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($32.99 @ Micro Center) 

Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($26.99 @ Newegg) 

Wireless Network Adapter: Rosewill RNX-N150PCe 802.11b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter  ($11.45 @ OutletPC) 

Total: $257.96

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-25 09:20 EDT-0400

[IanDrexP]

If you actually read the post, you will know that I will not be using this as my main computer. Just for fun, plus NO GAMES! No one has even answered my question about the cooler... Just focusing on the PSU and not buying the Pentium.

If you are buying the Pentium then the stock cooler will be alright but like what we suggested getting an APU would be much better with your use-case scenario and budget.

[don_svetlio]

If you actually read the post, you will know that I will not be using this as my main computer. Just for fun, plus NO GAMES! No one has even answered my question about the cooler... Just focusing on the PSU and not buying the Pentium.

You are literally throwing money out the window with the Pentium ....

[StandardToaster]

Windows > /r/softwareswap (I forgot the rest of the name)

 

[StandardToaster]

If you are buying the Pentium then the stock cooler will be alright but like what we suggested getting an APU would be much better with your use-case scenario and budget.

 

You are literally throwing money out the window with the Pentium ....

 

I'll consider an APU, as I'm currently running an A8-5500 from AMD... So, what APU do you suggest that is "better" than the Pentium, but around the same price, or lower?

[IanDrexP]

This is it: https://www.reddit.com/r/microsoftsoftwareswap/

[don_svetlio]

I'll consider an APU, as I'm currently running an A8-5500 from AMD... So, what APU do you suggest that is "better" than the Pentium, but around the same price, or lower?

7850K if you need an iGPU, Athlon 860K if you have a discrete GPU. Performance is close to an i3

[IanDrexP]

I'll consider an APU, as I'm currently running an A8-5500 from AMD... So, what APU do you suggest that is "better" than the Pentium, but around the same price, or lower?

YES! EXACTLY! The price to performance will be better at the same price point or you can go lower.

[StandardToaster]

7850K if you need an iGPU, Athlon 860K if you have a discrete GPU. Performance is close to an i3

If this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113359 is what you were talking about, that's way too expensive.

[StandardToaster]

YES! EXACTLY! The price to performance will be better at the same price point or you can go lower.

So which APU? The A8-5500 is actually still too expensive...